What About Second Breakfast?: bunny

Have you ever had a homemade marshmallow? The first time Joe suggested we make them, I couldn't imagine their being worth the trouble. Storebought marshmallows are all right in hot cocoa or crispy rice treats, but otherwise spongey and kind of like styrofoam. Homemade marshmallows, on the other hand, have a creamy texture inside and are flavored with vanilla or whatever else you put in them.

This chocolate-drizzled chick is nesting in toasted coconut. It was a fun switch from my blog posting last year, where the marshmallows were just covered in colored sugar and sprinkles. You can also submerge the bunnies and chicks completely in chocolate. The thin layer of chocolate will crack and give way to the soft marshmallow, and the two flavors melting in your mouth are incredible. Give them some Easter flair with colorful nonpareils, or sprinkle the coconut over the chocolate for some fuzzy bunnies and chicks. Bag them up or tuck them in Easter baskets, and you'll have some happy campers.

For this look, dip a spoon in melted chocolate and let most of the excess drip off. Then wave the spoon around in zig-zags or swirls, and sprinkle with nonpareils. For the eye, dip a toothpick in the melted chocolate, then spin the toothpick to get off most of the excess. Use the toothpick to make a dot on the marshmallow, avoiding any drips. To cover the marshmallows in coconut, dip them in melted chocolate and then sprinkle with the toasted coconut flakes. Set aside to dry.

A marshmallow syrup is made, then cooked later with more ingredients to make marshmallows; when that mixture is added to a gelatin mixture in the stand mixer, it steams and bubbles up furiously; after 10 minutes of whipping, the mixture has billowed into white marshmallow; the marshmallow is extremely sticky and must be spread out quickly in the pan before it begins drying and setting.

A couple more tips. Don't even try to get every last bit of marshmallow off that beater and bowl -- it ain't gonna happen. It's also not worth it. You'll get marshmallow strings everywhere, and your marshmallow slab will begin to dry and set. Also, when smoothing out your marshmallow into a slab, wet hands are your best friend. Get your hands very wet with water, then use them to smooth the marshmallow out quickly.